Second-Ranked Cougars Blank Cal-Baptist, Improve to 8-0

Jeff Reynolds | BYU Athletic Communications | Posted Feb 17, 2001

PROVO -- For the seventh time in eight matches, the second-ranked BYU men's volleyball recorded a decisive 3-0 victory, blanking Cal Baptist on Saturday, 30-24, 30-16, 30-20. The Cougars improve to 8-0, remaining the only undefeated Division-I team in the country, while the Lancers dropped to 5-4 on the year.

"I was pleased to see us bring some good energy to the court tonight," BYU head coach Carl McGown said. "I thought we played exceptionally well on defense."

After missing two matches last week with a pulled abdominal muscle, junior Mike Wall led the Cougars charge with 12 kills on 24 swings, while senior Matt Olsen hit .800 (four-of-five) and All-American Scott Bunker hit .625, recording five kills on eight attempts. The Cougars hit .366 for the match, while holding Cal Baptist to just .011 at the net. The BYU defense forced 28 Lancer errors and produced 26 blocks on the night. Fernando Pessoa and Jonathan Alleman each had nine digs for the Cougars. Rafael Paal led Cal Baptist with a match-high 13 kills on the night.

After hitting nearly 60 percent in game one, recording 18 kills on 24 swings, the Cougars managed just nine kills in game two, hitting just over 19 percent. With the Cougars holding to a tight 13-11 lead, Wall served for three points on three straight Cal Baptist hitting errors. Leading 18-13, Bunker served for six straight points, including three aces in the series, to give the Cougars a commanding 24-14 lead. Lebron would later pick up his only ace of the night, while Jonathan Alleman recorded his first of two aces to force game-point. Joaquin Acosta ended the game on a block.

"Scott had a nice streak in game two," McGown said. "That was the best series of the match. He did a nice job of hitting, digging and serving."

Game three was hitched at 6-6 before the Cougars started to pull away. After Alleman served for three points, including his second ace of the night and later, Lebron served for three straight points, the Cougars pushed the lead to 26-17. Freshman Todd Clevenger entered the match late in game three, picking up the Cougars' 29th point on his first and only kill of the match. With Clevenger serving for match-point, the Lancers picked up their 28th hitting error, giving BYU the 30-20 victory.

"We wanted to have a good outing and play at a high level tonight because two of our setters will not be able to practice this week," McGown said. "In preparing for a team like UCLA, it is going to be tough not having Jeremiah Larsen (sprained ankle) and Angel Perez (broken finger) to help us out during practice. That will be a bit of a concern for us."

BYU will prepare this week for a two-match home series against top-ranked UCLA on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23-24. Both matches are slated for a 7 p.m. (MST) start in the Smith Fieldhouse. In an effort to fill the Smith Fieldhouse, local vendors including , Hogi Yogi, Teriyaki Stix and Christensen Chevrolet are giving away free tickets to the match. Fans are encouraged to visit these local vendors throughout the week to pick up their free ticket vouchers.